As is well known, passwords have long been employed by way of protecting computer systems from unauthorized access. Generally, computers have a type of firmware known as a basic input/output system (BIOS) which can provide different types of password protection. Normally, a “hard disk password” (HDP) controls access to the hard disk drives or other storage devices of a computer, while a “power-on password” (POP) controls access to the loading of the operating system.
Problems may be encountered in connection with such an arrangement, however. Particularly, to the extent that a POP can be read out of a BIOS memory, this may present a significant security issue when the POP (as often is the case among users) is the same as the HDP. Since possession of a HDP can permit an unauthorized user to freely access hard drive contents, the resultant security breach could be enormous, and detrimental to the legitimate user or organization in question. Accordingly, a highly compelling need has been recognized in connection with obviating such a security breach.